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Volcano Hazards Program

Find U.S. Volcano

There are about 170 potentially active volcanoes in the U.S. The mission of the USGS Volcano Hazards Program is to enhance public safety and minimize social and economic disruption from volcanic unrest and eruption through our National Volcano Early Warning System. We deliver forecasts, warnings, and information about volcano hazards based on a scientific understanding of volcanic behavior.

News

Photo & Video Chronology — April 9, 2026 — Kīlauea summit episode 44

Photo & Video Chronology — April 9, 2026 — Kīlauea summit episode 44

Volcano Watch — Caldera clues: tephra deposits from Kīlauea’s past

Volcano Watch — Caldera clues: tephra deposits from Kīlauea’s past

New open access articles on Mauna Loa 2022 eruption

New open access articles on Mauna Loa 2022 eruption

Publications

Yellowstone Volcano Observatory 2024 annual report Yellowstone Volcano Observatory 2024 annual report

The Yellowstone Volcano Observatory (YVO) monitors volcanic and hydrothermal activity associated with the Yellowstone magmatic system, carries out research into magmatic processes occurring beneath Yellowstone Caldera, and issues timely warnings and guidance related to potential future geologic hazards. YVO is a collaborative consortium that includes the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)...
Authors
Yellowstone Volcano Observatory

Determining Volcanic Risk in Auckland (DEVORA) Research Programme—A transdisciplinary approach to address the challenge of distributed volcanism in an urban environment Determining Volcanic Risk in Auckland (DEVORA) Research Programme—A transdisciplinary approach to address the challenge of distributed volcanism in an urban environment

The Determining Volcanic Risk in Auckland (DEVORA) Research Programme was launched in 2008 to address the challenges associated with monogenetic volcanism in an urban setting and to enhance volcanic risk management in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland in Aotearoa New Zealand. It is a multi-agency, increasingly transdisciplinary (defined here as research that transcends traditional disciplinary...
Authors
Jan M. Lindsay, Elaine R. Smid, Natalie Balfour, Natalia I. Deligne, Angela Doherty, Annahlise Hall, Tracy Howe, Gill Jolly, Graham Leonard, Kate Lewis, Craig A. Miller, Ema Nersezova, Ross Roberts, Richard E. Smith, Thomas Stolberger, Kelvin Tapuke, Thomas M. Wilson

Advances in volcano monitoring driven by the first decade of Sentinel-1 observations Advances in volcano monitoring driven by the first decade of Sentinel-1 observations

Sentinel-1 has transformed how satellite radar data (SAR and InSAR) are used in volcanology. The systematic, long-term archive and open-access policy means that volcano observatories and research organisations have invested in integrating Sentinel-1 datasets into their monitoring systems. We identify 233 high priority volcanoes and estimate that Sentinel-1 data has been used in peer...
Authors
Juliet Biggs, Nantheera Anantrasirichai, Kyle R. Anderson, Valerie Cayol, Edna W. Dualeh, Quentin Dumont, Susanna K. Ebmeier, Jean Luc Froger, Matthew Gaddes, Federico Galleto, Pablo J. Gonzales, Ian Hamling, Andrew Hooper, Milan Lazecky, Camila Novoa Lizama, Matthew E. Pritchard
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Melt Inclusions

Transmitted light photographs of melt inclusions trapped in quartz phenocrysts from the Sciuvechi lava at Pantelleria, Italy. Reprinted from Lowenstern (1994: American Mineralogist 79:353-369). (A) Inclusion P32-39 (60µm in maximum diameter) was experimentally heated to ~825°C and then cooled to 700°C, at which time three small vapor bubbles nucleated. All bubbles nucleated either on the quartz wall or a refractory quartz bleb (q). None nucleated on a small droplet of hydrosaline melt (h), which is ~60-70wt.% molten NaCl, and was trapped along with the melt during crystallization of the quartz. (B) Two hydrosaline melt droplets (4 µm diameter each) were present within P32-49.1 (105 µm in maximum diamter). During heating at 875°C, some opaque crystals (o) remained unmelted but were dissolved above 900°C. (C) During cooling, below 490± 15°C, the hydrosaline melts crystallized and could not be clearly viewed except at 1250X magnification (D and E, for left and right hydrosaline melts, respectively), which showed them to consist of host glass (m), a vapor (+ liquid?) bubble, and a white crystal with cubic habit (presumably halite). The host crystal was flipped and rotated before photographing D and E.

Volcano Hazards Program | U.S. Geological Survey Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Volcano Hazards Program

Find U.S. Volcano

There are about 170 potentially active volcanoes in the U.S. The mission of the USGS Volcano Hazards Program is to enhance public safety and minimize social and economic disruption from volcanic unrest and eruption through our National Volcano Early Warning System. We deliver forecasts, warnings, and information about volcano hazards based on a scientific understanding of volcanic behavior.

News

Photo & Video Chronology — April 9, 2026 — Kīlauea summit episode 44

Photo & Video Chronology — April 9, 2026 — Kīlauea summit episode 44

Volcano Watch — Caldera clues: tephra deposits from Kīlauea’s past

Volcano Watch — Caldera clues: tephra deposits from Kīlauea’s past

New open access articles on Mauna Loa 2022 eruption

New open access articles on Mauna Loa 2022 eruption

Publications

Yellowstone Volcano Observatory 2024 annual report Yellowstone Volcano Observatory 2024 annual report

The Yellowstone Volcano Observatory (YVO) monitors volcanic and hydrothermal activity associated with the Yellowstone magmatic system, carries out research into magmatic processes occurring beneath Yellowstone Caldera, and issues timely warnings and guidance related to potential future geologic hazards. YVO is a collaborative consortium that includes the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)...
Authors
Yellowstone Volcano Observatory

Determining Volcanic Risk in Auckland (DEVORA) Research Programme—A transdisciplinary approach to address the challenge of distributed volcanism in an urban environment Determining Volcanic Risk in Auckland (DEVORA) Research Programme—A transdisciplinary approach to address the challenge of distributed volcanism in an urban environment

The Determining Volcanic Risk in Auckland (DEVORA) Research Programme was launched in 2008 to address the challenges associated with monogenetic volcanism in an urban setting and to enhance volcanic risk management in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland in Aotearoa New Zealand. It is a multi-agency, increasingly transdisciplinary (defined here as research that transcends traditional disciplinary...
Authors
Jan M. Lindsay, Elaine R. Smid, Natalie Balfour, Natalia I. Deligne, Angela Doherty, Annahlise Hall, Tracy Howe, Gill Jolly, Graham Leonard, Kate Lewis, Craig A. Miller, Ema Nersezova, Ross Roberts, Richard E. Smith, Thomas Stolberger, Kelvin Tapuke, Thomas M. Wilson

Advances in volcano monitoring driven by the first decade of Sentinel-1 observations Advances in volcano monitoring driven by the first decade of Sentinel-1 observations

Sentinel-1 has transformed how satellite radar data (SAR and InSAR) are used in volcanology. The systematic, long-term archive and open-access policy means that volcano observatories and research organisations have invested in integrating Sentinel-1 datasets into their monitoring systems. We identify 233 high priority volcanoes and estimate that Sentinel-1 data has been used in peer...
Authors
Juliet Biggs, Nantheera Anantrasirichai, Kyle R. Anderson, Valerie Cayol, Edna W. Dualeh, Quentin Dumont, Susanna K. Ebmeier, Jean Luc Froger, Matthew Gaddes, Federico Galleto, Pablo J. Gonzales, Ian Hamling, Andrew Hooper, Milan Lazecky, Camila Novoa Lizama, Matthew E. Pritchard
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